Janet Jackson Shouldn't Be a Weight Loss Role Model

Whoa, I am so psychic. Only yesterday, I was killing it on the elliptical to "If" by Janet Jackson (I know, kind of a random old-school choice, but very effective -- you gotta try it sometime!), and today, we find out she's about to break huge news! The pop legend's scheduled to go on Good Morning America and The Insidertomorrow to announce her latest gig: She's the new spokeswoman for NutriSystem. And yes, she looks amazing!

As much as I love me some Janet, I just can't get behind her new campaign. Marie Osmond, Carrie Fisher,Charles Barkley, silly Jessica Simpson negotiating how she'll lose her baby weight even before she has had the baby! It's enough already! This celeb diet icon thing is all kinds of unhealthy.

Advertisement

The big weight-loss giants love to get celebs to drop the weight with them, because they think -- okay, they know -- we worship at the feet of the Rich & Famous. Regular Janes' ears will perk up if they hear Jessica got down to a size 4 in six months post-baby!!, and regular Joes will think, "Hey, if a former NBA player can lose 27 pounds on Weight Watchers, it must not just be for the ladies!"

But we're smarter than that, people! And yet, we could still stand to be reminded that these celeb spokespeople may be following the same plan as "regular people," but they're getting groomed to sell the brand. They're also rich, right, so I'm sure they get more than a little help from "support staff" that most of us cannot afford -- like personal chefs and trainers. Hence why there are asterisks GALORE all over their weight loss claims. Oh yeah, and furthermore ... they're getting paid to play. Clearly, their success will be affected by that. Those of us here in the real world are not getting compensated by NutriSystem or Weight Watchers to drop the pounds. It's the opposite: We shell out cash week after week to stay "on plan."

Of course, I gotta hand it to Janet for being all kinds of aspirational. I just don't think the plan she -- or any other celeb -- is touting necessarily deserves all the credit for that slimmed-down shape. And we have to remember that when compared to the star, regular women's results will likely -- and perhaps greatly -- vary.

Do celeb endorsements make you more likely to sign up for a weight-loss program?